BJP will not be able to purchase TMC's booth-level workers: Mamata

Kolkata: Slamming BJP as a "autocratic and tyrannical political party", Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the saffron brigade of keeping an eye on booth agents of Trinamool Congress to give them money.

This comes on the day when Trinamool Congress organised a training camp for all its booth workers of all the 294 Assembly constituencies at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

Sources said that the senior leaderships directed the party workers to ensure round-the-clock guarding of the strong room by its workers from the day of election at their respective constituencies to the date of counting. The party's state president Subrata Bakshi, secretary general Partha Chatterjee and other senior leaders including Subrata Mukherjee, Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Aroop Biswas and Sadhan Pandey were present in the meeting.

"Keep one thing in mind that they are keeping an eye on our booth workers. They are saying that they will become successful in buying our booth agents against money. Will they become successful in their attempt? I would like to say that we will give our blood but will never bow down our head before BJP, CPIM and Congress," Banerjee said while addressing a political

rally at Pailan in South 24-Parganas.

Chatterjee said: "The party workers who will remain involved in the election procedure, mainly related to EVMs, attended the workshop today from all 294 constituencies. Issues related to the Covid situation, including the increase in number of booths, have also been discussed in details."

Sources said that Bakshi urged the party workers at Netaji Indoor Stadium to put up camps to keep constant eye at strong rooms where EVMs will be kept after the polls. The party workers have been asked to form two teams as each team will carry out the surveillance for 12 hours. The party's leadership assured supply of food and water to the party workers who will perform duties at these camps. They have been asked not to take the situation lightly even after the strong rooms get sealed.

Directions have also been given to ensure maximum use of VVPATs. The booth agents have also been urged to not to leave the polling booth until the election gets over and do away with the system of getting a "reliever" as much as possible, sources said.